Kesher Quick Blog

A New Year's Resolution to 'Do Good'

Dear Beloved Temple Emanu-El,

Tomorrow night begins Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, and the start of our High Holidays.  The year will be 5784, which means that we Jews have been here for a VERY long time.

Whether you believe it or not, we have been telling ourselves that God has tapped us to be God’s partner, in order to take the world from where it is, to where it ought to be from darkness to light, from brokenness to wholeness, from injustice to justice.  This is known as tikkun olam, and it is part of the Jewish raison d’etra.  Read more here

Operation Isaiah, Temple Emanu-El's annual canned goods and coat collection starts Friday, September 1.

Join us in our effort to feed the hungry and clothe those who are cold. This year, we are collecting new and gently used books for children ages birth to 10 years-old. For your convenience, collection barrels will be labeled and located in the temple lobby as well as onsite for High Holy Day services.

Start the new year off right by doing a mitzvah! Your generosity goes a long way toward helping the most vulnerable.

Please join Temple Emanu-El in providing dinners for couples who are transitioning from homelessness to resettlement and independence.  

URGENT NEED - October, November, and December   

Volunteer opportunities exist bimonthly all year round. For further details and to volunteer, please Click here

Questions? Call or email Nancy Shapiro  at 770-714-4475.

Our Temple Emanu-El and Diamond Family Religious School Community are thrilled to welcome our newest Shinshinit, Naama Brody! Having a Shinshin as a part of our Diamond Family Religious School and youth programming has been an amazing way to bring Israel into the lives of the next generation. Naama is taking a gap year between high school and her IDF service to come to Atlanta to serve the Jewish community. Jewish peoplehood is a pillar of Temple Emanu-El; Naama will not only teach us about Israel, but we will also share with her all about what it means to be a part of a Reform Jewish community in America. Week by week we will strengthen the connection between the Jewish people of Atlanta to Israel and around the world.

The Caring Committee is looking for a Volunteer Substitute Caller Coordinator.

 This person would coordinate the substitute caller when one is needed. Please become part of the Caring Committee.

For details please reach out to Ann Fine or Gerri Penn.

There are two mitzvot pertaining to the Shabbat meal. One is oneg, the mitzvah to delight in Shabbat, as it is written: “Call Shabbat ‘delight’ (oneg)” (Isaiah 58:13). Oneg is fulfilled primarily through the meals, but snacks and a Shabbat nap are parts of it as well." (Peninei Halakhah, Shabbat
7:2:2)

Providing the Oneg is performing a Mitzvah for our community.

Hosting an Oneg is not only a Mitzvah, but it can also be a way to celebrate a family event and share the good news with the congregation.

Her ways are pleasant and all her paths, peaceful.
She is a tree of life to those who grasp her,
and whoever holds on to her is happy. Proverbs 3:17–18

Honor a loved one or a special occasion by purchasing a leaf on our Tree of Life

I will give them, in My House
And within My walls,
A monument and a name
Better than sons or daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not perish. (Isaiah 56:5)

We are commanded not merely to grieve but also to remember and to observe.

Temple Emanu-El’s Yahrzeit plaques both perpetuate the cherished memory of the loved ones we have lost and create a permanent family legacy.

Memorializing our loved ones in this way fulfills the commandment to give tzedakah in their honor.

Metro Atlanta Counties need Poll Workers to ensure elections run smoothly and correctly.

To learn what this work entails and how to
apply in your County, click here.